Iowa State Cyclones Punt kicker Kyle Konrardy (97) kicks the ball for a field goal in the University’s Spring Football at Jack Trice Stadium on Saturday, April 20, 2024, in Ames, Iowa. © Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK
AMES — Kyle Konrardy ticked off the numbers casually, as if reading from a grocery list.
Fifty-five-yard field goals? Yeah, Iowa State’s top placekicker is good from that distance and in. 60-plus yards? Sure, if the conditions are right, but maybe that’s reaching. On the other hand, maybe not.
“Still pretty confident (I) can make them,” the walk-on redshirt freshman from Dubuque said.
Konrardy has “earned the right to be confident,” Cyclones head coach Matt Campbell noted recently. He spent last season competing with highly accurate one-and-done graduate transfer Chase Contreraz and enters the 2024 season as his heir apparent at the pressure-packed position. He also drilled four of his five field goal attempts in ISU’s spring game and has been consistent throughout fall camp.
“When I first started, there was probably a little bit of false confidence because I really didn’t see the progress,” Konrardy said. “But now as I’m seeing the progress coming, it’s true confidence, and I’m really feeling myself now.”
Konrardy’s behind the scenes competition last season with Contreraz proved to be mutually beneficial. Contreraz went 21-for-26 on field goals last season, ranking 31st nationally among FBS kickers. The Cyclones were a dismal 127th the previous season and another graduate transfer, Andrew Mevis, showcased top-five accuracy in 2021.
So suffice it to say the kicking game has been mercurial for ISU in the Campbell era, but Konrardy aims to change that — and he has four seasons of eligibility to work with.
“He’s got this unbelievable mental toughness about him to kind of auto-correct and work through (things),” Campbell said. “I think his consistency is really coming and I think his confidence is growing, but fist time through all this as being ‘the guy.’ That’s a different animal than competing for the job, so (I’m) excited for him.”
Campbell’s also excited to see what junior punter Tyler Perkins can do in his third season as the starter. Perkins currently ranks first all-time among Cyclones punters with a career average of 43.4 yards per punt, but can tighten up his precision when trying to pin opponents inside the 20-yard-line.
“Man, you’ve seen this guy (who’s) really good,” Campbell said. “What’s gonna make this guy a great player? It’s consistency for Tyler. There were times last year where he looked like one of the best punters in the Big 12, and then there were times when we needed him to be better and he wasn’t as good as he needed to be. Tyler’s a relentless worker. It’s really, really important to him and we’re proud of him, but can I consistently be my best when my number gets called? That’s defining of an elite punter and that’s easier said than done.”
Perkins is combining words with actions this fall to meet that lofty standard.
“The biggest thing I’ve been working on is the finesse side of things,” Perkins said. “Because last year I lost touchbacks.”
Conversely, the Cyclones are looking to find touchdowns in the return game. ISU hasn’t returned a kickoff or punt for a touchdown since 2017, when Trever Ryen jetted 68 yards to the end zone. Star senior receiver Jaylin Noel ranked 29th nationally in punt returns last season at 8.5-yards per attempt and nearly broke that touchdown drought with a 72-yard kick return. He’ll have help in those areas this season, as speedy Eastern Michigan transfer Jaylon Jackson joins the mix. The 5-8 senior has scored one touchdown off kickoff returns in each of the past two seasons and is brimming with confidence.
“I’m really dynamic in the return game,” Jackson said. “So I’m just looking for opportunity and I’m just ready to go.”
Same goes for Konrardy, who’s eager to enter prove-it mode after watching Contreraz shine as the Cyclones’ placekicker last season.
“I love the guy,” Konrardy said of Contreraz this spring. “I work with him all the time. I still contact him (about) what I should do (and) how I can get better. He’s just a great influence for me.”
